Source: COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to
MEASUREMENT AND MODELING PLANT WATER USE TO QUANTIFY NURSERY WATER REQUIREMENTS
Sponsoring Institution
Agricultural Research Service/USDA
Project Status
TERMINATED
Funding Source
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0414545
Grant No.
(N/A)
Project No.
6618-13000-004-07S
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Aug 19, 2008
Project End Date
Aug 18, 2013
Grant Year
(N/A)
Project Director
ALBANO J P
Recipient Organization
COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
FORT COLLINS,CO 80523
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
(N/A)
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
20%
Applied
60%
Developmental
20%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
1010210102050%
1020999106020%
1032110201010%
1112199202010%
1122420206110%
Goals / Objectives
The objectives of this cooperative research project are to 1) apply aerial and substrate water measurement and modeling techniques, 2) schedule nursery water use by integrating interactions between plant growth environment and recent advances in physiological process modeling of nursery water flux, 3) move toward the development of a real-time model-sensor integrated system that calculates plant water use on a genotype specific basis, and 4) move towards quantifying individual nutrient consumption and application across the growing season.
Project Methods
Measure inherent plant physiological responses and calculate physiological parameters. Develop process models for plant water use calculations. Simulate, forecast, and prescribe plant water use on a genotypic basis for selected containerized nursery crops under various irrigation schedules (volume and timing).

Progress 08/19/08 to 08/18/13

Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416): The objectives of this cooperative research project are to 1) apply aerial and substrate water measurement and modeling techniques, 2) schedule nursery water use by integrating interactions between plant growth environment and recent advances in physiological process modeling of nursery water flux, 3) move toward the development of a real-time model-sensor integrated system that calculates plant water use on a genotype specific basis, and 4) move towards quantifying individual nutrient consumption and application across the growing season. Approach (from AD-416): Measure inherent plant physiological responses and calculate physiological parameters. Develop process models for plant water use calculations. Simulate, forecast, and prescribe plant water use on a genotypic basis for selected containerized nursery crops under various irrigation schedules (volume and timing). This project is related to Objective 2 of the in-house project: Effluent Water Quality. Implementing a species specific mechanistic �model� to control irrigation in a nursery production setting was accomplished. The application of irrigation happens autonomously via a wireless node that relays the model based decisions to irrigate; simultaneous soil moisture measurements ensure the model does not go off course. Compared were the models of rrigation estimates to measurements of soil moisture. The model performs equally well. Overall, nursery water use requirements via a mechanistic model and application of irrigation based on species specific water use requirements was established.

Impacts
(N/A)

Publications


    Progress 10/01/11 to 09/30/12

    Outputs
    Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416): The objectives of this cooperative research project are to 1) apply aerial and substrate water measurement and modeling techniques, 2) schedule nursery water use by integrating interactions between plant growth environment and recent advances in physiological process modeling of nursery water flux, 3) move toward the development of a real-time model-sensor integrated system that calculates plant water use on a genotype specific basis, and 4) move towards quantifying individual nutrient consumption and application across the growing season. Approach (from AD-416): Measure inherent plant physiological responses and calculate physiological parameters. Develop process models for plant water use calculations. Simulate, forecast, and prescribe plant water use on a genotypic basis for selected containerized nursery crops under various irrigation schedules (volume and timing). This project is related to Objective 2 of the in-house project: Effluent Water Quality. No progress was made during the reporting cycle due to equipment failures and change in experimental setup to measure water use in tree crops. Four peer-reviewed papers, however, associated with the project were published during the reporting period.

    Impacts
    (N/A)

    Publications


      Progress 10/01/10 to 09/30/11

      Outputs
      Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416) The objectives of this cooperative research project are to 1) apply aerial and substrate water measurement and modeling techniques, 2) schedule nursery water use by integrating interactions between plant growth environment and recent advances in physiological process modeling of nursery water flux, 3) move toward the development of a real-time model-sensor integrated system that calculates plant water use on a genotype specific basis, and 4) move towards quantifying individual nutrient consumption and application across the growing season. Approach (from AD-416) Measure inherent plant physiological responses and calculate physiological parameters. Develop process models for plant water use calculations. Simulate, forecast, and prescribe plant water use on a genotypic basis for selected containerized nursery crops under various irrigation schedules (volume and timing). This project is related to Objective 2 of the in-house project: Effluent Water Quality. The objective of this research project is to augment the inhouse research project by conducting research on a specific water irrigation control systems to promote water conservation and limit runoff. Work continues on developing species specific transpiration rates for optimizing irrigation efficiency to conserve water and to reduce runoff. Progress was monitored by annual meeting, phone calls, and email communications.

      Impacts
      (N/A)

      Publications


        Progress 10/01/09 to 09/30/10

        Outputs
        Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416) The objectives of this cooperative research project are to 1) apply aerial and substrate water measurement and modeling techniques, 2) schedule nursery water use by integrating interactions between plant growth environment and recent advances in physiological process modeling of nursery water flux and, and 3) move toward the development of a real- time model-sensor integrated system that calculates plant water use on a genotype specific basis. Approach (from AD-416) Measure inherent plant physiological responses and calculate physiological parameters. Develop process models for plant water use calculations. Simulate, forecast, and prescribe plant water use on a genotypic basis for selected containerized nursery crops under various irrigation schedules (volume and timing). The relationship of the project to the objectives of the in-house project include the development of integrated horticultural production systems, in this case mechanistic models to predict the water use and irrigation requirements of genetically diverse nursery crops. Specific progress during the reporting cycle includes the establishment of a research and demonstration site at a major (>800 acre) nursery. At this site, a 22 node wireless data acquisition system that uploads data from 110 sensors to the internet every 5 minutes was installed. On a monthly basis, data were collected on plant physiology and morphology. Monitoring activities by the Authorized Departmental Officer's Designated Representative (ADODR) over the project included communications by phone and by electronic means, and a face-to-face meeting at the American Society for Horticultural Science annual meeting in August, 2010 in Palm Desert, California. Briefly, parameterization of the physiological response on a genotype basis allows reliable modeling of transpiration, thus circumventing over watering or under watering. Moreover, representing genetic variation in physiological traits through genotype-specific model parameters has resulted in a practical means to improve nursery crop transpiration predictions across varying environments.

        Impacts
        (N/A)

        Publications


          Progress 10/01/08 to 09/30/09

          Outputs
          Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416) The objectives of this cooperative research project are to 1) apply aerial and substrate water measurement and modeling techniques, 2) schedule nursery water use by integrating interactions between plant growth environment and recent advances in physiological process modeling of nursery water flux and, and 3) move toward the development of a real- time model-sensor integrated system that calculates plant water use on a genotype specific basis. Approach (from AD-416) Measure inherent plant physiological responses and calculate physiological parameters. Develop process models for plant water use calculations. Simulate, forecast, and prescribe plant water use on a genotypic basis for selected containerized nursery crops under various irrigation schedules (volume and timing). Significant Activities that Support Special Target Populations The relationship of the project to the objectives of the in-house project include the development of integrated horticultural production systems, in this case mechanistic models to predict the water use and irrigation requirements of genetically diverse nursery crops. Briefly, parameterization of the physiological response on a genotype basis allows reliable modeling of transpiration, thus circumventing over watering or under watering. Moreover, representing genetic variation in physiological traits through genotype-specific model parameters has resulted in a practical means to improve nursery crop transpiration predictions across varying environments. Monitoring activities by the Authorized Departmental Officer Designated Representative (ADODR) over the project included communications by phone and by electronic means, and a face-to-face meeting at the American Society for Horticultural Science annual meeting in July, 2009 in St Louis, Missouri.

          Impacts
          (N/A)

          Publications